Pickering's Chris Raguseo a franchise player

Career coming to close for Whitby Fury captain

"To me, he's our MVP and I think the best defenceman in the league. He does everything for us on and off the ice.

"He's been a big reason why this organization has gone in the direction it has. He's been like a franchise player that we've built around."

So who issued the quote and who is the subject matter?

Could be Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins talking about Zdeno Chara, or Ottawa's Paul MacLean on his star defenceman Erik Karlsson, who could be lost for the season with an Achilles injury, or maybe it's Barry Trotz of Nashville on Shea Weber.

Wrong on all accounts, but it's conceivable that those coaches could have provided the quote about any of their star players.

The parallel is used to illustrate the significance of the contribution defenceman Chris Raguseo has had on the Whitby Fury, and the quote was supplied by his coach, Craig Fisher, following the team's final home game of the regular season on Tuesday.

The five-year run the captain has had with the club is slowly coming to an end, although the 20 year old would argue that his time in a Fury uniform is passing by too quickly. With each passing game, he is a step closer to graduating out of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

"You don't want to let the emotions get the best of you, but at the same time, I've been here for a long time and have put in a lot of work," says the Pickering resident.

"I'll definitely remember all the years I've had here. As the season winds down and we get into the playoffs, there are going to be some emotions that come up. That's just natural."

Five years in the same league is rare; serving them all with the same organization is almost unheard of.

"Every year went by quicker than the last. This one especially," says Raguseo. "I remember the first couple of games in the season, now there's only a couple left to go."

When the season closes, after a long playoff run, he hopes, the future could include enrolling in an NCAA program. Raguseo's loyalty would fit well. The length of commitment needed at that level is only four years.